'Almost Human' has a good start

Judging from the pilot, at least, "Almost Human's" future on Fox is fairly bright.

By DAVID WIEGAND

capecodtimes.com

By DAVID WIEGAND

Posted Nov. 17, 2013 at 2:00 AM
Updated Nov 17, 2013 at 8:28 AM

By DAVID WIEGAND

Posted Nov. 17, 2013 at 2:00 AM
Updated Nov 17, 2013 at 8:28 AM

ON THE TUBE

What: "Almost Human"

When: 8 tonight on Fox

Rating: Four stars out of five

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ON THE TUBE

What: "Almost Human"

When: 8 tonight on Fox

Rating: Four stars out of five

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"Almost Human" may convince you it's almost a hit when it finally premieres tonight.

The sci-fi police procedural was originally planned for Nov. 4, but that date was pushed back to give "Bones" a few more Monday slots. No matter: The pilot, which airs tonight before the show assumes its regular slot on Monday, reminds us that good things are worth waiting for.

Karl Urban (the rebooted "Star Trek" movies, the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy) plays Det. John Kennex, the only survivor when his squad is ambushed by the out-of-control crime syndicate sometime in the future. Having spent two years in a coma as doctors replace various parts of his body lost in the ambush, he wakes up ready to avenge the deaths of his squad members and find out why his girlfriend has disappeared.

But the world has changed, and because the crime rate has risen by 400 percent, every human cop is now required to have an android partner. Kennex gets a nagging, by-the-book companion who cramps his style badly enough to warrant a replacement. Kennex has a novel way of creating a vacancy, which is one of the pilot's many delightful moments.

There are no versions of the current standard android available, but the department's android master, Rudy Lom (Mackenzie Crook, the British version of "The Office"), can re-activate a discontinued variety called a DRN. These mechanical men were created to be as human as androidly possible, and that made them subject to emotional reactions.

In other words, they were "crazy" and promptly retired.

Kennex's new pal is named Dorian (Michael Ealy, "Barbershop"), who, after being dusted off and fired up again, is ready to prove to the cops that he should be a full-fledged member of the force.

Dorian and Kennex don't hit it off all that well at first. For one thing, Kennex keeps calling his partner "a synthetic." "There's that word again," Dorian growls. But when the pair are sent by their captain, Maldonado (Lili Taylor, "Six Feet Under"), to investigate the apparent return of the masked gang who ambushed Kennex two years earlier, the teammates find they're made for each other.

The show was created by J.H. Wyman ("Fringe"), who also wrote the pilot's script, which efficiently telegraphs the two big reasons "Almost Human" has a good chance of succeeding: It captures the teeming bleakness of the future world and establishes winning chemistry between Kennex and Dorian.

The performances are spot-on, and it's especially gratifying to see Ealy better utilized after being wasted in the USA's dopey "Common Law." The action scenes are terrific and well-executed special effects, makeup and costumes contribute to the convincing look of the dark, crime-ridden future city.

Judging from the pilot, at least, the future of "Almost Human" on Fox is fairly bright.